Marcos Alonso in talks with Barcelona

Rüdiger seems set to be on his way out of Chelsea. And Marcos Alonso could join him. Post United broke the news that the 31-year-old defender is set to join Barcelona - and that information was confirmed just minutes later by Fabrizio Romano, a reliable source when it comes to the transfer market.

“He’s respectful with Chelsea - but his priority is to come back to Spain this summer. Barcelona have already started direct contacts to explore intentions and potential price. He’s a serious candidate among 3/4 options for the new Barça left back,” journalist Fabrizio Romano explained.

The Madrid-born defender, a regular in Luis Enrique’s recent Spain squad lists and Thomas Tüchel’s first-choice left-back, is one of the options which Barcelona are believed to be weighing up. The other candidates, AS can confirm, are Álex Grimaldo, Nicolás Tagliafico and Javi Galán. Xavi is keen to reinforce the left-back position as Jordi Alba recently turned 33 and needs a player who can come in and cover for him - a player with a similar profile to Maxwell.

Football in the family

A descendant of a football dynasty in which his grandfather Marquitos left his mark at Real Madrid, and his father Marcos Sr. did likewise at Atlético Madrid, Marcos Alonso came through Real Madrid’s youth system and spent a couple of seasons with Castilla before emigrating to England in 2010. He spent time at Bolton and also in Italy with Fiorentina before returning to the UK to land at Stamford Bridge in 2016.

Unlike Rüdiger, he is not out of contract this summer but will be free to move on in 2023. Barça, therefore, would need to reach an agreement on a transfer fee - taking into consideration their financial restrictions. Both sources claim that Marcos Alonso will play a key role in persuading Chelsea to release him, citing personal reasons for his desire to move back to Spain during negotiations amid all of the uncertainty at the London-based club who are still finalising new ownership.